Love is Mysterious
by The Last Elven Princess
Summary: Nagit is rescued by an unknown warrior, leaving behind only a few drops of blood. Afterwards, Chezem embarks on his own search for this person. What does he find? What else will unfold? (Disclaimer: I do NOT own any of the "Shall We Date?" stories! Note: Is set AFTER the basic story -the one involving Alvah- and this fanfic mainly revolves around Chezem!)
1. Nagit's Rescue & Searching for Them

One winter night, Nagit and Melchiorre were in front of the teahouse that Nagit's mother had previously owned. "Thanks for showing me this place, Nagit. I have to admit it looked rather peaceful, somehow." Melchiorre said, at which Nagit gave a small smile. "Thank you. It means a lot to know that I'm not the only one who can appreciate this place." he said in return. As they were making their way back to the palace, a group of men approached them. If one were to give an estimate, it would've looked to be ten, at least. "Prince Nagit and Prince Melchiorre, it'd be better for you both, if you came with us." the one in front said in a gruff voice. Immediately, Melchiorre punched at the man in the front. The punch landed on the right side of the man's face. Few minutes later, Nagit noticed that they were surrounded. "Stop! Leave him alone!" he shouted. As the man turned his attention toward Nagit, Melchiorre tried to kick the man in the head. The kick missed, and the other men had quickly subdued Melchiorre.

"It's me you're after, right? Let him go, and I'll comply." Nagit said. "Smart kid. Leave Prince Melchiorre alone. We have who we wanted." the man said, quickly landing a knockout blow on the back on Melchiorre's neck. As the men left with Nagit, Melchiorre struggled to keep his consciousness. A few minutes later, a masked warrior arrived and noticed Melchiorre laying on the cold ground. They jumped down from the top of a nearby roof and ran over to him. When the warrior knelt down in front of him, Melchiorre barely managed to point in the direction that the men had went with Nagit as their hostage. They tried to move him, but he refused. "Help my brother. His name.. is Nagit. He's also a prince. I don't know who you are, but please.. save him..." he had pleaded to the unknown person. They nodded and handed him a phone. As they took off toward the direction that was pointed out to them, Melchiorre looked at the phone. He noticed that on it was an unsent text, a message for him. It read "I'll save him. Meanwhile, get you some help."

Following the message's instructions after a quick moment of debate, he immediately called Mai's cellphone. To his surprise, the phone actually was able to call it. He thought that the stranger was trying to pull a cruel prank on him. It rang a couple times, then he heard as Mai answered. "Hello?" Melchiorre quickly responded, "Mai, it's Melchiorre. Get help. I'm near the teahouse that Nagit inherited from his mother. Nagit and I were just on our way back when we got jumped. They took him, Mai. Someone came by and gave me this phone. They wanted me to get help. I think.. they're going to try to save him." Mai was in shock. "Melchiorre, do you know who it could've been that kidnapped Nagit? Do you at least know who gave you the phone?" she asked just as Alvah overheard her asking and ran up to her. "Mai, what's going on with Nagit and Melchiorre? Are they alright?!" he asked, obviously concerned. She put the call on speaker. "Melchiorre, are you and Nagit alright?" he asked. "Alvah, is that you? I'll be fine, but Nagit was taken hostage and someone gave me this phone so I could call for help. I think they're gonna save Nagit..." Melchiorre answered.

During the time it had taken for Melchiorre to call for help, the warrior had found the men and Nagit still heading somewhere. Where that was, they didn't know, but they knew it wouldn't be good. 'Only fifteen of them? Why would there be so many just to kidnap a prince?' they thought. After deciding that the leader of the group was probably just desperate, the person quickly and quietly approached the group, knocking out five of them so fast that the others had just barely noticed, with the exception of the leader. When the fighting was more audible from the group, it was then that the leader noticed. "You must be out of your mind to think you can beat all of us by yourself. Tell me. Just who are you?" he said. There was no response, which angered the man enough to charge at them, knocking Nagit aside. Nagit stared on in shock as the leader and the unknown warrior had fought. Punches, kicks, and even blades were involved in this fight. The man had a knife while the warrior had a sword. 'If I'm not mistaken, that's a katana!' Nagit thought to himself as he watched on.

About ten minutes later, the fight was still raging on, and the man was becoming fatigued. 'How am I being bested?! I'M supposed to win! Well, there's always my so called trump card...' he thought as he threw a hidden knife at Nagit. The warrior noticed and, from where they were, went to move Nagit out of the way. However, while Nagit was saved, the warrior was given a deep gash on their left side. The man ran, only to be captured by the police a few minutes later. As the warrior removed the rope from Nagit's wrists, blood was coming out from their wound. Nagit was immediately concerned for them. "You need to let a doctor tend to you. I can get a doctor at the palace to look after you until you heal. Please. You need help." The warrior declined by shaking their head without saying a word. They gave Nagit a note then before Nagit could notice, the warrior had appeared to vanish into the night. They left no trace, except for the few drops of blood that was on the ground beside him from where they had freed him from his bindings.

He then glanced at the note in his hand. He slowly opened it as his hands were trembling. The note contained only one single word: "Live." He looked around, trying to find some trace of where his rescuer could've went, but could find nothing that could indicate which direction he should be searching. He looked up at the sky. It was beginning to snow. He was usually so happy when he saw snow falling. This time, however, he felt like crying. He didn't know if it was shock or his concern for his rescuer, but he couldn't cry, even though he wanted to do so. Few minutes later, his brothers arrived on the scene. Even their father, King Tamir, Ivan, and Alvah's wife, Mai, were there. Alvah and the others called out to him, but Nagit didn't hear them because he was so wrapped up inside his thoughts and concerns. Alvah walked up to him, placing a hand on his right shoulder. "Are you alright, Nagit?" Nagit turned around and looked at Alvah with tears in his eyes. "We need to find them." he said. Alvah was confused. "Nagit, they've already been taken into custody by the police."

Nagit shook his head and tightened his hands as they turned into fists. "I mean we need to find the person who saved me from them. I don't know who it was, or whether if they were man or woman. But, we need to find them now, Alvah! They're badly hurt from where they were trying to save me! I don't wanna leave them to die! Please.. help me find them!" he said, his tears falling at the end of his plea. Alvah was shocked by what Nagit had said, but more importantly, he was saddened at the fact that his youngest brother was upset. "Father, we must find the person who saved Nagit. It's the least we can do for them. Am I right, father?" After a quick moment of consideration, King Tamir nodded. "It may still be the holidays, but our duty can call at anytime. That's one thing you obviously haven't forgotten, Alvah. It seems your studies have been going well, after all. But, all that aside, we'll need to find them before it's too late. Nagit, you'll return to the palace with me. We'll leave the rest to you and to a small portion of the royal guard. I'll inform them of the situation. In the meantime, stay in the teahouse until they show up." After Nagit, Ivan, and King Tamir left, all of them except Chezem start heading toward the teahouse. Before any of them could've known, Chezem quietly went away from the group, feeling like they shouldn't be waiting. When he was a good distance away, Chezem started running, searching for the one who saved his youngest brother. 'Whoever you are, hold on. I'll find you, with or without their help! ..Wait.. why am I even acting impulsively like this, right now?' he thought to himself. Realizing that it was too late to turn back now, Chezem ran further and further into the cold, wintry night as he searched for Nagit's rescuer...

[To be continued.]


	2. In Her Presence: Thoughts & Feelings

"I can't see Chezem anywhere! This is frustrating!" Jun said as he and the others searched with some people from the royal guard. "Why would he just run off?" Mai asked Alvah. Alvah looked back at her. "Your guess would be as good as any, right now. We won't know that reason until we find him, and we will find him." he responded. They kept calling out for him, and meanwhile, Chezem had found himself at a part of town that had a few abandoned warehouses. He soon found a couple droplets of blood on the freshly fallen snow, as well as a set of footprints that seemed to lead away from those droplets. Following the tracks, he entered the middle warehouse. "Hello? Is anyone here?" he cautiously said, trying to call out to the person that rescued Nagit. "I am Chezem, a brother of Nagit. I wanted to thank you for saving him. On behalf of us and our brothers, I came to make sure you were alright. Nagit explained that you were injured in the process of rescuing him." he said, unaware of the lone silhouette watching him from some point above him.

Suddenly, they dropped down in front of him, but immediately appeared to be in pain. Chezem was immediately more concerned than he was before he saw them. "Do you want someone to help you? I can help you get the treatment you need. We may not know each other, but anyone that rescues one of my brothers.. should be considered a friend..." he said as he approached them, then extented a hand toward them. "Please.. let me help you... I don't want you to die if there was something I could do to prevent it..." he said as the warrior looked at him through their mask. He noticed that only the eyes were able to be seen. 'Those eyes.. look like the eyes of a caring woman... However, I can't tell if they are a woman, just yet.' he thought as the warrior slowly and cautiously reached out their right hand to grab his left hand. 'Their hand also looks to be about the size of a woman's hand.' he thought as he helped them up and placed an arm around them, his hand helping to hold them by placing it under their left arm.

Both of them made it out of the warehouse and proceeded on the path that would lead them to the palace. "How am I to let them know that I found you? Do you happen to have another phone?" he asked. They nodded feebly as they moved their left hand in a set of ways that'd allow them to pull the phone out from the pocket in their sleeve. Chezem carefully grabbed the phone and proceeded to call the first number he thought to call. It rang. "Hello?" Chezem took a breath before responding. "Mai, it's Chezem." he said, making Mai stop in her tracks. "Chezem! Why did you run off? Are you okay? We were worried!" she said as the others stopped and listened as Mai put the call on speaker. "Any moment spent waiting could've been the difference between them living or dying. I'm heading back toward the palace. They're with me, now, so tell Nagit not to worry about his rescuer. We're going to get them the help they need. Meet me there." he said before ending the call and placing the phone in a side pocket on the person's outfit. He then helped them readjust their position before continuing on the way back.

As all of them made their way back, Mai asked a guard to go ahead of them so everyone else could be informed of the situation and to make sure there was a doctor waiting for when Chezem arrived with Nagit's rescuer. 'I hope he makes it back in time... I can't imagine the pressure that must be on him, right now...' she thought as the group kept going on their path. Meanwhile, Chezem had just entered a less abandoned part of the town. He looks around and soon discovers a police vehicle sitting there. Two officers were sitting inside. Chezem looked at the person he was, in a sense, carrying. The person was struggling to keep conscious. He started walking toward the vehicle while carrying the person and called out to the officers. After a couple tries, he finally got the officers to notice. They quickly exited the vehicle and approached both him and the person he carried. "Prince Chezem! What are you doing in this part of town? Is everything alright?" the more heavyset officer said, conpletely surprised at what he saw. Chezem looked at the officers. "You have to help get us back to the palace. This person had rescued Prince Nagit, earlier this evening and, as a result, was severely injured in the process." The officer had looked at the person Chezem was carrying and noticed the wound, though it had bandages, was still bleeding. "Such a terrible thing to occur.. especially around this time of year... Come on, Officer Kaige. Duty calls." the officer said to the more burly officer with whom he was currently working.

It somehow felt like a century later when they arrived at the palace gates. Alvah, Nagit, and the others had arrived not long after, seeing Chezem and Ivan carrying the person inside. A doctor soon followed after Chezem and Ivan. Nagit ran ahead of the group, somehow managing to catch up to them. "You can't die! Remember the note you gave me.. and live!" he said in a somewhat raised voice. Just then, the person looked at Nagit, barely able to manage a nod. As Chezem and Ivan carried the person to the designated room, Nagit stopped where he was, unable to figure out if his rescuer was going to live. Alvah walks up to Nagit, placing a hand on one of Nagit's shoulders. "They'll be alright, Nagit." he said with a smile. Nagit kept looking ahead, staring into the empty space. "If they die, then how could I live without feeling any guilt over this? If I hadn't been captured, then they wouldn't have been hurt. They wouldn't be fighting for their life..." he said with a depressed tone. Alvah couldn't give an answer. Mai was behind Alvah, at this point. "Nagit, if they rescued you, then they knew the risk. They could've not tried, that's true, but the important thing is that they chose to save you. If nothing else, then it should at least show that there's other people who care about you." she said as an attempt to reassure Nagit.

Meanwhile, Chezem and Ivan were assisting the doctor. The doctor had made a couple attempts to remove the mask, but they gripped the doctor's wrist, shaking their head. "Well, mask or no mask, we'll need to see how severe your injury really is." he said as he began to lift up a portion of their shirt to examine the injury. As he removed the blood-soaked bandages that covered the wound, Ivan looked at the doctor. "Just how severe of a wound are we going to see, Doctor Perry?" he asked. Perry then proceeded to clean the blood from around and over the wound. After careful examination, Perry's eyes were wide with surprise. "While the wound isn't terribly wide, we're looking at a minimum of three inches deep and a length of four and a half inches. Normally, this wound wouldn't be any major threat to one's life, but this case is one of few exceptions. That is, if the bandages were anything to judge by. Also, if I had to guess from the size appearance of this person, I'd say they are indeed a female." he said. Chezem was shocked. "A woman saved Nagit?" Ivan asked. Perry nodded. "From what I can tell, this person is, in fact, a woman." he said as Chezem looked at the woman's eyes. Her eyes were almost closed, but they were staring at him, trying to look him in the eyes.

"How long would she have to remain in bed?" Chezem asked as he kept looking at her. Perry looked at her wound as he finished cleaning it. "Well, Prince Chezem, if the wound is anything to go by, then I'd have to say at least a few days, with the most being about a couple weeks. For now, however, this case is currently a 'touch and go' situation. It'll be difficult to determine if she'll even live. I can close the wound the best I can, however, it'll be up to her whether or not she lives." he said solemnly as he prepared to close the wound. After Doctor Perry finished closing the wound as best as he could, he said, "At least it doesn't look like anything major was damaged. I'd recommend at least a few days worth of bed rest, and that someone stay with her a couple nights, just in case. Call me if you need anything." Ivan nodded.

"Thank you, doctor." Chezem said as Doctor Perry left the room. Ivan looked at Chezem. "Prince Chezem, you should get some rest. I'll keep an eye on her." he said, to which Chezem shook his head and looked at Ivan. "I should stay with her, at least for tonight. I stayed with her and helped her get medical attention. After all, I owe her at least that much. Am I right, Ivan?" he said then looked down at the woman. Ivan switched gazes between the woman and Chezem, then nodded. "As you wish. Goodnight, Prince Chezem." After Ivan shut the door and the sound of his footsteps reduced to silence, Chezem looked at her. She was looking at him, as if studying him for some reason. "Does the injury hurt you as badly as it looks?" he asked her. She said nothing, but shook her head slowly. It was obvious that she was tired enough to where she could pass out. He sat down in a chair beside the bed, wondering why she was looking at him as if she was still studying him. As she looked upon him, she couldn't help but notice a concerned yet gentle look in his eyes. 'Someone.. is actually worried about whether or not I live? Why do I want to show him the face beneath? Is it out of gratitude? Maybe it is out of respect? Does he.. really care what happens to me? If so, that would be something I never had known from anyone in a long time...' she thought to herself.

Meanwhile, Nagit and the others were waiting for Ivan to show. Alvah had asked him to inform them of the warrior's condition after the doctor had left. Few minutes later, Ivan appeared. Nagit had been standing around the whole time. He saw Ivan and ran over to him. "Ivan! Are they going to be alright?!" Nagit said, appearing to be very anxious to know. Ivan looked at him. "Doctor Perry had said that the injury made it a 'touch and go' situation. He managed to stop the bleeding and close the wound. However, he said it would be up to her whether or not she lives. He also said that, if she does, she'd need to be on bed rest for at least a few days and kept under close observation for a minimum of a couple nights. Prince Chezem insisted on being the one to keep an eye on her. He said that he owed her at least that much, since he was the one to bring her here. While I do not completely understand his reason for him staying in there, it made the most sense. It also seems that he intends to see his endeavor through this, at least." he replied.

Nagit looked down the hall, as the others were in shock. "Wait a second, Ivan. You mean to tell us that it was a woman that rescued Nagit?" Jun said out of disbelief. Ivan looked at him. "Indeed, Prince Jun. It was a woman that saved Prince Nagit. If I may offer advice, then do not consider it impossible. After all, it was a woman that decided which of you would become the next king." he said. Nagit kept looking ahead. "I want to see her. I want to thank her. After all, it's possible that I won't have another chance to do that. I might not be able to do much of anything else, but I should at least thank her. I'd feel terrible if I didn't and she died before I could, let alone if she did die..." he said with a hint of sadness and concern. Ivan looked at Nagit. "Prince Nagit, if you want to see her, then follow me." he said as he walked back down the hall he arrived from. Nagit quickly decided to follow. 'Please live...' he thought to himself as he and Ivan arrived in front of the room in which she was staying. Nagit knocked on the door. "Chezem, it's Nagit. Please allow me to enter." Chezem looked at the door. "You don't have to ask, Nagit."

The woman turned her attention to the young prince that was entering the room. He looked at her with concern. "Are you feeling alright?" he asked her. After she managed a nod, he walked to the side of the bed that was opposite from where Chezem sat. Nagit noticed the bandages, gently placing his left hand over them in order to avoid much discomfort, if any. "I wanted to thank you for saving me. I also wanted to apologize. I was in trouble. If I wasn't, you wouldn't have been injured like this..." he had spoken as he looked at her. The woman shook her head as she reached for Nagit's hand, patting it gently as if she was telling him that it was okay. "Please live..." he quietly pleaded. "She needs to rest, Nagit. I'll stay with her. Try to get some sleep. We'll know more within the next couple days. Doctor Perry will check on her in the morning." Chezem said. Nagit nodded and left the room, even though he didn't want to do so. It felt like what he said didn't express a lot of gratitude, but it was the only things Nagit thought he could've said. He made his way to his room, went under the covers that were on his bed, and fell asleep, regardless of how much he didn't want to sleep. Everyone was just as opposed to going to sleep, including Jun, but couldn't think of any good it would've done. Meanwhile, the woman looked at Chezem, who was watching her. Later, he could've sworn he heard her softly say "Thank you..." just before he had completely succumbed to the desire to sleep within the veil known as dreams. However, he was too fatigued to try confirming whether or not she had spoken, at all. From beneath her mask, she gave a small smile, grateful for what these people were doing for her. 'Thank you.. Prince Chezem...' she thought before she, too, gave into her exhaustion. The rest of the night was cloaked in silence, even the snow that was still falling outside from the sky above...

[To be continued.]


	3. Conditions & Named before Departure

That morning, Lambert and his wife, Falitna, were two of the first ones to wake up. After they were ready for the day, Lambert looked at her. "Falitna, would you mind checking on Nagit? I'll check on Chezem, in the meantime." he said. Falitna looked at him. "Of course, dear." she replied, smiling at him. They each went down separate hallways after about a few minutes of walking together and a kiss between them. Falitna eventually reached Nagit's room. She knocked on his bedroom door. "It's Falitna. May I enter?" she said. A moment passed, then another. Finally, just when she was becoming concerned, she heard him say, "..Come in." She entered his room and immediately noticed he was sitting by the window, looking out at the snow with a vacant expression. "Lambert went to check on her and Chezem. I'm sure she'll be fine. If she made it this far, then she should be able to recover." she said, trying to help cheer him up. A moment of silence passed, then Nagit said, "You know the snow started covering the ground, last night, don't you?" Falitna wondered if that had anything to do with him being upset. "Yes, so I heard. Why do you ask?" Nagit then sighed as he kept staring out the window.

"Usually, when the snow starts falling, I want to smile. However, when I had realized what happened to her, the snow had just started to fall. It didn't make me want to smile, this time. Honestly, I wanted to cry, but no tears came to my eyes. Therefore, I couldn't cry, even though I wanted to do so. I felt a heaviness inside instead. How would I be able to live with myself if she dies from this?" he said with a hint of sadness in his voice. He was trying to appear stronger than he was on the inside, but it was obvious that he was trying not to break down and cry. After all, she had already been able to tell that he had already cried a bit before she had arrived at his bedroom door. She walked over toward him until she stood beside him. "I suppose you are in need of a hug? I know you've been crying." she said. It was then that Nagit was fighting back tears, but he couldn't for long. "I don't want her to die, Falitna! I feel so terrible about the fact that she could die because of me!" he said then started to cry as much as he had wanted to do so since last night. Falitna hugged him until he was able to calm down, trying to reassure and comfort him.

Meanwhile, Lambert had arrived at the room of which he was told Chezem and the woman were currently located. Doctor Perry had arrived a few minutes after. "Prince Lambert, may I ask why you're standing out here instead of going inside the room?" he asked. Lambert looked at the door. "I wanted to check on my brother and to see if the woman's condition has improved, at all." he replied. Doctor Perry walked to the door and knocked. "Prince Chezem, it's Doctor Perry. May Prince Lambert and I enter?" A moment of silence passed. "Enter." Lambert opened the door and went inside, followed by the doctor. "Lambert, it's suprising that you'd check about her condition." Chezem said. Lambert looked at the woman. "Anyone who'd risk their life for one of us should be considered a friend of ours. Last I heard, friends try their best to look after each other. Am I correct, brother?" he said. Chezem, unable to argue, nodded and looked back at the woman. She was awake, but it was obvious she was still feeling drowsy. It was partially the medicine, but most of it was from having rescued Nagit and trying to avoid dying from her wound which she obtained as a result.

"Okay, miss, how are are we feeling today?" Perry asked. The woman didn't speak, which was no surprise to either Chezem or Perry. However, Lambert was curious as to why she hasn't yet said a word. "Why don't you speak?" he asked as the woman looked at him. "Are you unable to speak?" he asked. The woman shook her head. Lambert then started to get frustrated, but kept his tone in check. "Then why do you not speak? How will we know if you're in any pain, let alone if you need anything?" he said, only to soon see Chezem raise a hand. "Brother, calm yourself. Nagit said that she didn't even speak when she rescued him. I'll admit she never spoke a word the whole time I was trying to bring her here, and even up to this point, it remains the same way. If and when she chooses to speak, we'll have to let her do so when she's ready. How do you know that she even trusts us, Lambert?" he said, to which Lambert couldn't offer a reasonable response. "I don't know, but she should trust us! After all, we're saving her life!" he said after a minute.

Chezem gave Lambert a firm look as he went to stand up. "She doesn't know us, Lambert. Tell me this, brother: If you were in her situation, having to be around people whom you've never met, inside an unfamiliar place that you also never knew until the day it happened, would you immediately trust us?" Lambert looked at the woman, then back at Chezem. "..I wouldn't..." he finally admitted after about three minutes. "And rightfully so, Lambert. You'd have to either be naive or insane to immediately trust someone you never met before that point in your life." During the time it had taken to finish the discussion, Doctor Perry had already checked the woman's vitals, checked her wound, and was finishing wrapping new bandages over it when they noticed. "Has her condition improved, doctor?" Chezem asked. Perry sighed, then gave a small smile. "Well, Prince Chezem, it'd seem her condition is improving, but not enough to allow her to skip being on bed rest. For starters, while her vitals may be more stable now, they aren't completely back to normal, yet. To put it simply, if she were to avoid a proper recovery, she'd risk reopening the wound, which could cause another medical threat to her life." he said with a serious tone toward the end of his warning.

Chezem had a look of relief, which Lambert noticed, even though no one else did. "Thank you, doctor. If you could do another favor for us, doctor, please inform Prince Nagit of her condition." Perry looked at Lambert. "Of course, Prince Lambert." he said before leaving the room. Once they were alone, Lambert looked at Chezem. "Don't tell me you are in love with this woman. You haven't even heard her speak, let alone seen her face." Chezem looked at Lambert as he narrowed his eyes. "I don't have to be in love with anyone in order to care about them. She saved Nagit's life. I'll admit that I'm curious as to who she is beneath the mask, but I'll let her decide that. For now, it's important that she recovers." Chezem said. Lambert couldn't help but to agree. "Why don't you come join us for breakfast? You look like you could use it, brother." he offered. After he noticed that the woman nodded, Chezem went with Lambert, though he didn't want to, for some reason. At the table, Nagit and the others were waiting. Tamir was the first one to walk up to Lambert and Chezem. "Are you feeling alright, my son?" he asked. Chezem nodded with as straight of a face as he could manage. Tamir looked at Chezem's eyes. They shown a different expression. "Why do you ask, father?" Chezem asked. Tamir shrugged his shoulders a little. "Because I noticed that, somehow, you look dejected. Why is that?" Chezem was surprised. "It's because I feel as terrible as Nagit over not being able to do much to help that woman." he finally admitted. Nagit shook his head. "You did more than I had thought to do, Chezem. You found her and brought her to get treatment without having to drag her here. If it wasn't for you, she might've died." he said.

About a few minutes later, while everyone was talking with each other, they heard Ivan saying, "Miss, you shouldn't even be out of bed, yet! Please allow me to take you back to your room." Everyone turned their attention toward the door leading into the main hall. There, propped on the doorway, she stood. Nagit and Chezem got up from their chairs simultaneously and walked over to her. Tamir couldn't help but to say, "I admire your determination. Is there any name by which we should call you?" Managing the best voice she could, she said strongly, "Hanako." Tamir nodded. "Hanako, while I admire your determination to be walking around, you should be resting. Your injury hasn't fully healed, according to Doctor Perry." he said.

Hanako narrowed her eyes and looked at him. Everyone noticed that she was fully dressed. "I must be on my way. I thank you all for your kindness, but I cannot stay longer. Just, if you ever meet someone that I know, then I ask a final favor from you: take care of them." Tamir was curious. "Who is this 'someone' that you know?" he asked. Hanako gave a long pause, then replied, "Tamiko... Her name.. is Tamiko..." and proceeded to leave. Chezem tried to stop her, but soon as he got in the garden, he soon found that she had disappeared. 'How does someone, that was wonded that severely, just vanish?!' he thought as his brothers, Falitna, Ivan, and Tamir appeared behind him. Upon learning what happened, Tamir couldn't help but to laugh. "It seems we underestimated our new friend. We just have to believe that she won't push herself too hard. Whoever she is, I'm sure she'd make a good wife to the one that's lucky enough to earn her love." he said, smiling. Chezem couldn't help but wonder if Hanako would actually be okay while trying to come up with some ideas as to who Tamiko was. He knew just as much as anyone else: Tamiko was a woman and Hanako was at least acquainted with her. The only things to figure out now would be who Tamiko was as a person, her connection to Hanako, and what things could happen, if they did care for her. Nobody had any ideas regarding those things, but Chezem had a feeling that sometime in the near future, they would receive their answer on one thing. 'Just who is Tamiko?' they all unknowingly thought at the same time as Chezem looked at the trees in the garden, watching the wintry winds blow enough to make the branches move.

[To be continued.]


End file.
